The Northern Ireland Assembly is to be suspended on 26 January and an election will be held on 2 March, following a breakdown of trust between the DUP and Sinn Fein

On the surface, 2016 seemed to be a good year for the political and peace process in Northern Ireland.  Following the Assembly elections last May, all the minority parties declined to take seats in the Executive and formed an opposition – a novelty for the devolved government. The Executive was run in partnership between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein, with Independent Unionist Claire Sugden serving as Justice Minister.  There was no great warmth between First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, but relationships were reportedly cordial enough. Both parties worked hard at the partnership, despite the blow dealt by Brexit, which the DUP had supported and Sinn Fein had opposed.

Around the peace walls – the barriers that separate Catholic and Protestant areas – I noticed small signs and signals adding up to a perceptible change for the better: agreement over parading in Ardoyne and dismantling of the Twaddell loyalist camp, small but significant reductions and transformations in the walls themselves, some glossy new shared community buildings in interface areas, lower levels of ongoing disturbances, and a variety of cross-community initiatives.